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tabling member printed

Stephen Timms

tabling member › label

Biography information for Stephen Timms

min date

2019-05-22

min answer › question first answered

2019-06-18T16:37:00.37Z

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To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what assessments
he has made of the implications for businesses of the Business Readiness Fund ceasing
to provide grants beyond 31 October 2019.

To ask the Secretary of State for Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy, what discussions
she has had with the Chancellor of the Duchy of Lancaster and Minister of the Cabinet
Office on extending Business Readiness Grants beyond 31 October 2019.

<p>The Business Readiness Fund is a scheme set up to fund Business Representative
Organisations to prepare businesses for leaving the EU on 31st October. Ministers
meet regularly with ministerial colleagues to consider what further support can be
given to business before and after 31<sup>st</sup> October.</p>

To ask the Secretary of State for Digital, Culture, Media and Sport, what the timetable
is for requesting an adequacy assessment of UK data protection regulations from the
EU if the UK leaves the EU without a deal on 31 October.

<p>In no deal, it is in everyone’s interests that the exchange of personal data between
EU Member States and the UK continues.</p><p>The European Commission has said that
adopting adequacy decisions is not part of their priority no deal contingency planning.
In light of this, we do not expect the European Commission to have made adequacy decisions
regarding the UK at the point of exit.</p><p>However, the UK is ready to commence
an adequacy assessment now. We will continue to make the case to the European Commission
to start the adequacy assessments as soon as possible.</p>

<p>Nobody has to wait for five weeks for a payment following an application for Universal
Credit (UC).</p><p> </p><p>UC new claim advances provide access to a payment for those
in financial need, which can be accessed urgently, until their first regular UC payment
is due. Claimants can access up to 100% of the total expected monthly award, for which
they can pay back over a period of up to 12 months.</p><p> </p><p>The Department has
taken a number of steps to ensure that advances meet the needs of claimants and that
recovery arrangements are personalised and reasonable. The maximum rate of deductions
cannot normally exceed 40 per cent of the UC standard allowance and does not reduce
other components of an award, such as money paid for children, housing or when someone
is caring for a severely disabled person. From October 2019 this will be reduced to
30 per cent and from October 2021 we are increasing the maximum recovery period for
advances from 12 to 16 months.</p><p> </p><p>This is just one of a number of measures
the Department has put in place to support claimants such as paying those claimants
moving from Housing Benefit to UC a two week ‘transitional housing payment’. We are
also introducing a two-week run on for eligible claimants of Income Support, Jobseeker’s
Allowance and Employment and Support Allowance from July 2020.</p>

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment has been made
of the affordability of (a) one and (b) two bedroom properties for Local Housing Allowance
claimants in each region of England and Wales.

<p>The proportion of private market rents that are at or below the LHA rate for (a)
one and (b) two bedroom accommodation for each region in England and Wales are set
out below. This is based on:</p><ul><li>2019/20 LHA rates published here <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-housing-allowance-lha-rates-applicable-from-april-2019-to-march-2020"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-housing-allowance-lha-rates-applicable-from-april-2019-to-march-2020</a></li></ul><ul><li>Valuation
Office Agency data <a href="https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-housing-allowance-list-of-rents"
target="_blank">https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/local-housing-allowance-list-of-rents</a></li></ul><p>
</p><table><tbody><tr><td><p> </p></td><td><p>1 Bed</p></td><td><p>2 Bed</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>East
Midlands</p></td><td><p>17%</p></td><td><p>17%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Eastern</p></td><td><p>9%</p></td><td><p>9%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>London</p></td><td><p>7%</p></td><td><p>7%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>North
East</p></td><td><p>26%</p></td><td><p>25%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>North West</p></td><td><p>23%</p></td><td><p>22%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>South
East</p></td><td><p>10%</p></td><td><p>10%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>South West</p></td><td><p>14%</p></td><td><p>14%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>West
Midlands</p></td><td><p>16%</p></td><td><p>14%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Yorks &amp;
the Humber</p></td><td><p>20%</p></td><td><p>21%</p></td></tr><tr><td><p>Wales</p></td><td><p>22%</p></td><td><p>22%</p></td></tr></tbody></table><p>
</p>

<p>In May 2019, 54,000 (3%) Universal Credit payments were subject to a deduction
for council tax arrears.</p><p> </p><p>Notes:</p><p> </p><ol><li>The number of deductions
is rounded to the nearest 1000</li><li>The proportion is rounded to the nearest %</li></ol><p><strong>
</strong></p>

To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what assessment she has made
of the potential merits of uprating benefits by CPI plus 2 per cent over the next
four years, and will she make a statement.

<p>The Secretary of State is bound by law to complete an annual review of benefit
and pension rates to determine whether they have retained their value in relation
to the general level of prices or - in the case of the full rate of the new State
Pension, basic State Pension and Standard Minimum Guarantee (SMG) in Pension Credit
- earnings.</p><p> </p><p>Where prices and earnings have increased relative to the
value of those benefits or pensions, the Secretary of State must increase non-contributory
benefits for additional disability needs and for carers, as well as Additional Pension,
at least in line with the increase in prices. In the case of the basic and the full
rate of the new State Pension, the triple lock guarantees that rates will be raised
by the highest of the rise in prices, the rise in earnings, or 2.5% for the duration
of this Parliament.</p><p> </p><p>The Secretary of State must also consider the rates
of other benefits including working age benefits, and may decide to increase those
at her discretion taking into account considerations such as the prevailing national
economic circumstances and Government priorities at that time. She will make her assessment
later this year and announce it ahead of the up-rating of benefits in April 2020.
From that date she is able to implement a discretionary decision since the four-year
freeze set by the Welfare Reform &amp; Work Act 2016 will have lapsed.</p>

<p>An Impact Assessment of the benefit freeze was published in 2015, this is available
in the link below.</p><p><a href="https://www.parliament.uk/documents/impact-assessments/IA15-006C.pdf"
target="_blank">https://www.parliament.uk/documents/impact-assessments/IA15-006C.pdf</a></p><p>
</p><p>This benefit freeze excluded Disability Living Allowance, Personal Independence
Payment, Attendance Allowance, the Support Group component of Employment and Support
Allowance (for those not expected to look for work), disability premia in working-age
benefits and the disabled elements of tax credits. This provides protection for those
facing the additional cost of disability.</p>

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Written Statement
of 23 July 2019 on Immigration, HCWS1803, when the review of guidance to ensure the
right decisions are being made will be completed: and if she will publish its conclusions.

<p><del class="ministerial">My Department recognises the importance of this issue.
The Secretary of State will write to the Rt Hon member with an update when a decision
has been made.</del></p><p><ins class="ministerial">New guidance for decision makers
is currently being drafted. My expectation is that the guidance, once finalised, will
be published on gov.uk</ins></p>

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, pursuant to the Written Statement
of 23 July 2019 on Immigration, HCWS1803, when the update of operational guidance
to ensure no further action is taken in cases where there is no evidence an ETS certificate
was used in an immigration application will take effect; and if she will publish that
updated guidance.